S Llaguno

Iron status in low-birth-weight infants small and appropriate for gestational age. A follow-up study.

Iron nutrition was measured in 84 low‐birth‐weight infants. At birth, they were assigned to three groups: preterm infants appropriate for gestational age (n= 29); preterm infants small for gestational age (n= 17); and full‐term infants* small for gestational age (n= 38). A sub‐sample of infants was supplemented with iron 3 mg/kg from two to four months of age. At birth, preterm appropriate‐for‐gestational‐age infants had a lower hemoglobin concentration than full‐term small‐for‐gestational‐age infants (p < 0.01) and a higher serum ferritin than preterm small‐for‐gestational‐age infants (p < 0.05). In the non‐supplemented group, full‐term small‐for‐gestational‐age infants had significantly higher hemoglobin concentrations at four months of age. At this age, iron‐supplemented preterm infants appropriate or small for gestational age had significantly higher hemoglobin levels than non‐supplemented subjects, while iron supplementation did not have an effect on final hemoglobin concentration in full‐term small‐for‐gestational‐age infants. We conclude that preterm infants, irrespective of their adequacy for gestational age, show evidence of iron deficiency before four months of age. Full‐term infants do not develop iron deficiency up to this age.

Nutrición de folato en escolares

RESUMEN En un grupo de escolares de baja conditionsocio—economics, se encontro una prevalencia dedeficiencia de acido folico (folato eritrocitario <140 ng/ml) de un 6.0%. Los niveles de folatoencontrados fueron mas bajos que los obtenidosen un grupo de lactantes.REFERENCIAS 1. Olivares M., Anderson M., Llaguno S. y Stekel A.:Folato serico y eritrocitario en cl lactante. Rev. Chil.Pediatr. 54; 246,1983.2. Waters A.H., Mollin D.L.: Studies on the folic acidactivity of human serum. J. Clin. Path. 14: 355, 1961. 3. Hoffrand A. V., Beverly FA., MolUn D.L.: Methodof assay of red cell folate activity and the value ofthe assay as a test for folate deficiency. J. Clin.Path. 19: 17, 1966.4. Weil A., Mawacher E.: Folic acid and pregnancy: Isthere a real problem? ... Schweiz. Med. Wschr. 107: 1943, 1977. 5. Herbert V.: Aseptic addition methods for lactobaci-llus casei assay for folate activity in human serum.J. Oin. Path. 19: 12, 1966.6. Wagner G.: Folic acid. In: Present knowledge inNutrition. Olson, R.G., Broquist, H.P., Chichester,CO., Darby, W.J., Kolbye Jr., A.C. and Stalvey,R.M. The Nutrition Foundation Inc. Washington,D.C., 1984. p. 322-346.7. Herbert V.: Biochemical and hematological lesionsin folic acid deficiency. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 20: 562,

Folic acid nutrition in marasmic infants

Abstract To determine the prevalence of low folic acid levels in infants with marasmic malnutrition and to study its response to daily supplements of folic acid, a group of 80 malnourished infants 2 to 22 months of age were studied. In 12.5% of the group, serum folic acid levels were under 3ug/l and in 16.3%, red cell folic acid levels were under 140ug/l. In a sub group of 28 infants we determined the levels of folic acid on admission and discharge from a nutritional recovery center. During their hospital stay (median 117 days with a range of 94 to 130) infants received exclusively cows milk with a daily supplement of 100ug of folic acid. On discharge, a significant increase of serum folic levels to normal values was observed. A similar improvement, but not to the same extent, was appreciated in red cell folates. Inadequate quantity of supplementation or short time of observation could explain the lack of complete correction in the erythrocyte folic concentration.